The Great Storm of 1900 – Galveston, Texas

Just 123 miles south of our hometown is the city of Galveston, Texas. On our most recent excursion to the island, Jeff and I decided to visit the Pier 21 Theater to preview its presentation of The Great Storm. This 27-minute multimedia documentary is of the greatest disaster in Galveston history, the hurricane of Saturday, September 8, 1900.

Digitally restored from a previously shown 35mm slide presentation, The Great Storm plays on a wide-screen in high definition. The documentary pulls from letters, journals, diaries, and other accounts from the surviving Galveston residents. It uses voice-overs, sketches, and black and white photos, taken both before and after the disaster, to tell its tale.

The Great Storm opens with several photographic captures of the hustle and bustle of the prosperous Galveston island seaport. Spoken in a deeply southern drawl, viewers hear a voice from the past:

“Galveston possesses perhaps more wealth than any other city in the United States, having a like number of population. Her provincial residents are numerous and her commercial and public buildings are among the finest in the South.”

According to the reel, business transactions were made in saloons and days could be spent “bathing” on the coast or lounging in attractive gardens, while evening entertainment included ballrooms, music halls, and “hastening to the darker areas of the porches” at The Beach Hotel.

There even was a system of electric streetcars that traveled along nearly 50 miles of track. These were:

“…liberally patronized by the younger classes who seem not to take too hastily to pedal exercise and by the good-laced class whose occupation gives little time to walking.”

Interestingly enough, the destruction of Galveston was seemingly foreshadowed about 40 years earlier in a quote published in “Braman’s Information About Texas” (1858) that stated, “…I should as soon think of founding a city on an iceberg as on Galveston Island, if I looked to its safety and perpetuity.”

And then, on September 4, 1900 at 4:00 PM an Advisory was sent:

“Tropical storm disturbance moving northbound
over western Cuba. Advise westward bound vessels
that high winds may be expected over east Gulf
and Florida west during the next two days.”

A few days later Joseph Cline, working as an assistant weather observer under the tutelage of his brother Isaac, reported that conditions on September 7th were ideal as far as weather was concerned, although the extremely heavy swell of the gulf startled him, keeping him from “bathing” in it.

By September 8 at 4:00 am things were changing dramatically as the waters of the gulf were already in the back yards of some homes, but even at 12:00 noon residents were undisturbed; ladies and kids were reported “wading in the water” and “picking up driftwood and other things floating down the street.”

“Unusually heavy swells from the Southeast.
overflowing low places south portion of the
city, three or four blocks from the beach.
Such high water with opposing winds never
observed previously.”

Naturally, there were no photos caught in the midst of the storm, but as the voice-overs told the personal stories of those who were caught up in the midst of it I found the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight up imagining the horror of it.

Residents were forced to the second stories of their homes as the homes were battered with all manner of trash, from masonry to telephone poles, even to trestles ripped from the moorings of the railway lines.

As homes collapsed from the surge, residents who were not trapped and pulled-under by debris in the sea, grasped whatever floating items they could find, and held fast as the waves mercilessly whipped them out to the sea and back.

Sunday morning, September 9th, the storm waters receded.

A clear sky and brilliant sunrise was reported, as well as streets filled up to two stories high with the remains of houses, dead bodies, furniture, sewing machines, pianos, and animals.

Dazed men, women and children who survived the storm walked throughout the streets barely dressed, often bleeding from their heads and bodies.

The photos of the aftermath of the storm are ghastly enough to still the heart, but as is often the case after tragedy of this sort, law is ignored and vagrants abound.

Martial law was quickly and officially proclaimed to communicate the chain of command and for managing clean-up and looters.

Likewise, notices were released so residents knew who to contact to locate food. This really points to the extent of individual loss. With homes demolished by nature, nowhere to be found, people were unable to even fulfill their most basic need for food.

Documentaries like this strike at my very core. I think of the terror of not being able to protect my children. I cannot imagine searching for them or my husband, hoping not to find them among the bodies and debris, but wanting to know what happened to them at the same time.

The hurricane’s exact wind velocity is unknown as the last velocity measured, before the instruments were blown off the roof of the weather bureau, was 100 mph. The storm tide reached 16 feet above the sea wall and the barometric pressure was the lowest ever reported in the U.S. up to that date.

At least 6,000 perished in the storm of 1900. The morgue was unable to handle the sheer number of bodies, and while originally it was thought the bodies could be attached to weights and sunk out at sea, the ocean callously, yet promptly, returned the bodies to the shore to be dealt with once again.

Eventually it was determined the bodies would all be incinerated beneath piles of wreckage wherever they were found throughout the city.

In a matter of days relief poured in from all over the world. And as the city began to rebuild itself, in January 1902 recommendations were made to protect the city with a solid concrete wall that would extend 17 feet above sea level.

Beyond the wall the city would surmount the amazing task of raising the grade of the entire city.

Sand was excavated from the extreme eastern and western sections of the city, as well as the ship channel, and deposited in the town through dredge pipes and canals. Over 2000 buildings were raised on stilts, some raised as much as 13 feet.

The entire project cost around six million dollars (a significant amount of money NOW, but even more awesome in 1900). Surprisingly, the work was funded to a great extent by Galveston’s dedicated citizens.

Fifteen years later the seawall proved its value by protecting the city from a hurricane reported as equivalent to the storm of 1900. While 8 victims did die in this 1915 hurricane, it was a far cry from the thousands who died before.

This year Meredith is studying Texas History alongside many of her friends in our local homeschool co-op. Her class requires outside Texas History readings, so I found two historical fiction readers about the storm of 1900. She has completed Galveston’s Summer of the Storm and she is now reading Dark Water Rising.

Since The Great Storm is recognized as a significant part of the history of our “local” area, I was excited to preview the documentary and hoped it worthy of a return visit with at least my own children, if not a group of our co-op kids. It was worthy and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Galveston island.

As Jeff and I walked throughout the city, we saw this “1900 Storm Survivor” seal on multiple buildings. I began to think if we did take a group of kids it would be exciting to follow-up the documentary with a historical scavenger hunt. Students could be divided into teams to scout-out buildings proudly bearing this seal. Along the way their guide could give them clues as to how to get to the next location, pointing out the architectural and historical significance of each building they came across.

If you ever find yourself in Galveston, Texas, take time to go and watch the The Great Storm. It is well worth the $5.00 fee. You will leave the theater feeling that swell of pride that comes after encountering a story of how people can pull together through hard times, and not only survive, but thrive.

Heather Sanders

Hi. I’m Heather, a freelance writer living in Huntsville, a smallish town on the tail-end of the East Texas Pineywoods.
Twenty years ago, I married Jeff, the love of my life, and shortly after, we chose to “go forth and multiply.” We have three kids: Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. We homeschool. It's what we do, and it works for us.
Tired of feeling overwhelmed, we recently "faithsized" our family into a 960 square foot lake cabin in need of renovation. I write at HeatherSanders.com about faith and simplifying your desires so you can be content right here and right now

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http://walkworthy.us/wblog Liz in OK

Have you read Isaac’s Storm? It is a very well-written book, capturing the limits of meteorological knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century, the bureaucracy & lack of cooperation that complicated information analysis and flow, and then the horrors of the storm pounding on Galveston. I highly recommend it. (I use it as a measure by which to judge most other non-fiction that I read – and they all come out “not as good as Isaac’s Storm.”)

Juliette

We live in Friendswood, just about 30 minutes north of Galveston. And I LOVE going down there to look at the houses and buildings. I am amazed anything at all survived that storm without the sea wall that they have today. It was a tragedy but still Galveston is such an interesting city of history.

Lisa D.

My husband also read that book and thought it was excellent.

tricia

LOVE “issacs storm”! well written and a easy read! it is one of those books that i have reread many times!

http://www.omsh.com OMSH

Liz, I saw that one at Pier 21. I thought about getting it for me. The books I ended up purchasing were readers for Meredith, and then, Kenny. I may get “Isaac’s Storm” for Emelie and I to read though. Thanks for the recommendation.

http://www.omsh.com OMSH

Agreed. Even if I wasn’t from this area the documentation of the events would capture my attention. That said, there are multiple truly horrific natural events that have happened across the globe in the last decade. Many of those rival and even surpass the tragedy of that storm.

http://www.vickiewhitetravel.com Mz V

I learn SO much from your postings! I’m a native Texan and while I learned about the Galveston tragedy years ago in school, it was so interesting to read your narrative. Well done. Your children are blessed with you as their momma.

http://www.coliescrafts.blogspot.com Nicole

Isaac’s Storm was, indeed, an excellent book. It really gave a lot of insight to things that Liz mentioned, as well as the feelings that people must have dealt with after surviving such a disaster.

Sara M.

The “duck” tour in Galveston is also very educational- they go by the houses down the street that runs straight from the Gulf to Galveston Bay on the other side of the island, and one thing I specifically remember is that they point out a house where the fence used to be 6 feet high and is now only 2 or 3, because of raising the grade of the island.

JudyB

Fascinating. My aunt and uncle lived not far from Galveston Island, and I have visited there, but wasn’t aware of this terrible piece of history! Such a beautiful place.

http://whozatshrike.blogspot.com Whozat

I was also going to suggest Isaac’s Storm.

I grew up in Port Arthur and my parents lived in Galveston during the 60s. They rode out Hurricane Carla in John Sealy Hospital, when my dad was a resident there. My older sister was a toddler, just getting verbal, and spent the whole time looking out the window saying, “waaadooo!” (water)

http://journalofourblessedlife.blogspot.com Lorrie

I love learning about historical events so if I ever travel to the area, I will definitely be making a stop a Pier 21. The human spirit in hard times always get to me. Thanks for sharing!

Cindy

Stories like this make me even more thankful to live in today’s time! I cannot even begin to imagine what those poor people were feeling, especially with being caught by surprise. Living in Florida, we have had our share of hurricanes, but at least we have warning and can prepare or leave. I don’t think that I can sit through a movie like that, though. I am sitting here shaking just reading your post. Maybe I am still a little traumatized by Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in 2004.

TxMom

We live in the Houston area and love to visit Galveston. The tour guides (at least the ones I’ve had) at the Moody Mansion and the Bishop’s Palace in Galveston also do a wonderful job of painting the turn of the century scene in Galveston and what happened to some of the people during and after the storm. For example, did you know that Galveston was considered the “Wall Street of the West” at the time of the Great Storm? Prior to the storm, Galveston had such a rich history – not just its “movers and shakers”, but also as the “Ellis Island” for many people. In fact, my great-great grandparents immigrated through Galveston and settled in Texas. The history in Galveston is wonderful – it’s so much more than just a beach!

Thanks for a great review…

http://www.andreasplace.com/blog Andrea

I was also going to recommend Isaac’s Storm. I worked in Galveston for over 7 years, and I read that book while I worked there. It’s an odd feeling to be so familiar with the places in the book.

Miriam

I’ll ditto the remark’s about “Isaac’s Storm.” I read it several years ago, after seeing it on display at my local library. It was my first introduction to the 1900 hurricane and how deeply it affected Galveston and its residents.

RondaT

I grew up hearing stories about this storm. My great-grandmother and Great great-grandparents survived the storm! The story I have always been told is that the family were in the school on the second floor and my great-great grandfather started feeling uneasy, so they left. He tied all the kids, his wife and himself to a wagon and when the storm hit, the wagon floated and they were able to survive.
I grew up in Virginia, but I live in (West) Texas now and I have visited Galveston. I was surprised to find that there is not a memorial to the victims of this storm. I guess they felt it would more commemorate the storm rather than the people.
We didn’t see the film you discuss when we were there, i was more interested in genealogical research at the time, but now that my kids are older, I would like to take them back and see some of those things. They were only 3 the last time we went.

Ella

I love history. Especially Texas history. (I’m an Austinite). Will definitely add this to our summer travel list.
Thanks for sharing!

KJ

I was going to recommend “Isaac’s Storm,” too! Such a haunting book.

Heather, thanks for posting this info! I’m going to head to Galveston sometime soon and check it out. Such an incredible tragedy…so many mistakes, so many lives lost. Changed the course of Galveston, that’s for sure!

http://www.littlehomeschoolontheprairie.com/index.html PrairieJenn

Wow- thanks for sharing. This post and the pictures you shared definitely generated a lot of interest at our house. I’m taking advantage of that interest and checking out the children’s books you mentioned for the girls. Looks like I need to check out Isaac’s Storm too:)

Shelly Henley Kelly

A fair warning that Isaac’s Storm – while well-written – is FICTION being marketed as non-fiction. There are many things written in the book that cannot be documented and are pure conjecture (from the author’s own admission). When we helped the author with his research, we had no idea that he would twist the truth to match his own version of the story.

If you want a REAL non-fiction book try A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems. Mr. Weems wrote the book in collaboration with many (then-living) survivors to the point that he mailed them their portion of the narrative to ensure its accuracy. (His working papers are in the Rosenberg Library, with these letters and postcards.) That would be a much better read for homeschooling students.

We put together Through a Night of Horrors FOR STUDENTS so that they could use the actual primary materials in their personal research no matter where they lived. (ie: if they couldn’t visit Galveston to do research) We envisioned students using these first-hand accounts for National History Day entries, research papers, and other in-class projects. We even enclosed maps showing where each author lived (and survived) the Storm. You could easily take a tour of the island reading portions aloud and compare photos to what is there (or not) today. Try to imagine being able to see clear from Bishops Palace to the Gulf with only a few houses in between.

Sadly, more schools picked up Isaac’s Storm and we spent a good deal of time explaining how much of it is complete fabrication. If you tell a lie well enough and often enough, people will believe it as fact.

tr mcmahon

You should also take notice of the more recent bldg. placards showing the water level for Hurricane Ike only a few years ago. We lived there at the time and my bldg. which is the Shearn Moody Plaza Bldg on 25th and Strand has one for sure.

debi

There is a memorial bronze statue at 46th & Seawall for the victims of the 1900 storm it’s a women with her children with their hands raised to heaven or drowning whichever you prefer to believe, and it actually survived Hurricane Ike in 2008 that flooded the island in the same manner as the 1900 storm, Ike came in bay side and still today there are hundreds of people without homes. Every day new houses are being buildt or raised, Hurricane Ike was 3 1/2 years ago if that gives any kind of refernce to how long it takes to recover from a disaster.

An interesting teaching to tie old to new (since kids tend ot only think about the now) would be to compare the plaques for the 1900 storm to the water lines drawn in the strand area and around town to show the dept of the waters during both disadters. Most of the same structures were affected by both storms.

pvfrompv

When I was about 10, we were visiting people who had no children so I grabbed a book from their shelves called Disaster. I was mesmerized by the book, especially by the account of the Great Flood. The looters getting caught with whole fingers, broken off from bodies for their rings made quite the impression, obviously I’ve never forgotten it. Wish I had that book today.